Christian Jones leads No. 1 Alabama, 35-10

Saturday

Aug 31, 2013 at 11:51 AMAug 31, 2013 at 11:55 AM

ATLANTA — Christion Jones became the first Alabama player since at least the 1940s to have two returns for touchdowns, Vinnie Sunseri brought back an interception for another TD, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide overcame a sluggish offensive performance to beat Virginia Tech 35-10 on Saturday.

ATLANTA — Christion Jones became the first Alabama player since at least the 1940s to have two returns for touchdowns, Vinnie Sunseri brought back an interception for another TD, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide overcame a sluggish offensive performance to beat Virginia Tech 35-10 on Saturday.

Jones scored on a 72-yard punt return less than 2 minutes into the game, then scooted loose on a kickoff for a 94-yard touchdown that led the Crimson Tide (1-0) to a win that could’ve been much tougher to start its quest for an unprecedented third straight national title.

For good measure, the junior receiver also hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to blow it open against the Hokies (0-1), who largely shut down AJ McCarron and Alabama’s highly touted offense.

The Tide had just 97 yards total offense at halftime but were up 28-10. McCarron & Co. contributed only one of those TDs, and that came when they worked with a short field after a wobbly Virginia Tech punt.

Sunseri stymied a brief bit of momentum Virginia Tech had after Trey Edmunds broke off a 77-yard touchdown run, cutting Alabama’s early lead to 14-7. The Hokies held on defense, but Logan Thomas telegraphed a pass over the middle, Sunseri stepped in to make the pick and, without breaking stride, took it all the way to the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown.

Virginia Tech’s last glimmer of hope faded after Cody Journell booted a 39-yard field goal late in the first half. On the ensuing kickoff, Jones appeared to be stopped short of his own 30. Then, suddenly, he burst out from a pack of would-be tacklers and was gone. The return left Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer — whose program was long known for its stellar special teams — waving his cap and shaking his head in disgust.

Alabama finally put together an impressive offensive series late in the third quarter, capped by McCarron’s scoring pass to Jones. Still, the Tide managed just 206 yards on offense, far shy of its 445.5-yard average last season.

McCarron was photographed arriving in Atlanta wearing a boot on his right foot, reportedly because of an ingrown toenail, and he looked a bit off after being the nation’s top-rated passer last season. There was an interception — he had only three all of last season — and also a penalty for intentional grounding. He finished 10-of-23 for 110 yards.

T.J. Yeldon rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries, but the Tide finished with just 96 yards on the ground.

While the Tide has no shortage of offensive skill players, the line lost three starters from last year’s championship team. Apparently, there’s still some work to do in the trenches, which coach Nick Saban will surely focus on over the next two weeks before Alabama heads to College Station to face the new Southeastern Conference rival that provided its lone loss of 2012 — Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Jones’ performance masked the lackluster showing at the Georgia Dome, as he became the first Crimson Tide player since at least 1944 — that’s as far back as the Alabama record book goes — to score two touchdowns in a game on returns. And, for the first time since 1995, Alabama scored three non-offensive TDs in a game.

Virginia Tech, looking to rebound from a 7-6 season that was its worst since 1992, also struggled on offense under new coordinator Scot Loeffler. Fifth-year senior quarterback Logan Thomas looked like a raw freshman, completing only 5-of-26 for 59 yards, thought his numbers would’ve been a bit better if not for several dropped passes.

Take away Edmunds’ long run and the Hokies managed just 135 yards.

___

No. 10 Florida 24, Toledo 6: Mack Brown had tears in eyes before the game and a smile on his face after.

In between, he ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns — and vomited on the sideline.

Not a bad start for Brown or No. 10 Florida.

Brown’s career day, Jeff Driskel’s efficiency and a dominant defense carried the Gators to a 24-6 win over Toledo in the teams’ season opener Saturday.

“I felt like I was useless for the last couple of years,” said Brown, a fourth-year junior who did little his first three years in Gainesville. “Getting an opportunity. Just took it and ran with it. It felt good, man. I can’t really express it.”

Brown ran 25 times, equally his carries from all of last season.

He was making his first career start, in the lineup in place of Matt Jones. The sophomore missed the opener while recovering from a viral infection. He is expected to return next week at Miami, but Brown certainly stated his case to get some carries the rest of the season.

“There’s no question,” coach Will Muschamp said. “The more a guy plays, and the more he plays well, it gives you great confidence in putting him in the game and knowing he’s going to play well. … We expected him to play extremely well today.”

His teammates weren’t too bad, either.

Driskel completed 17 of 22 passes for 153 yards and a score, rolling out often and getting rid of the ball early. Florida’s defense, which ranked fifth in the country in 2012, looked every bit as good as last year’s version despite losing eight starters and its coordinator.

The Gators controlled both lines of scrimmage, opening holes for Brown and keeping steady pressure on Toledo’s experienced offense. It was exactly the style of play Florida has become known for under Muschamp. No flashiness. Few highlight-reel plays. But a win in the end.

It was Florida’s 24th consecutive season-opening victory.

No. 13 Oklahoma State 21, Miss. St. 13: J.W. Walsh threw for 135 yards and ran for another 125 and a touchdown to lead the Cowboys over the Bulldogs in the Texas Kickoff Saturday in Houston.

Walsh finished 18 of 27 after relieving starter Clint Chelf on the Cowboys’ third series. Jeremy Smith rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries for Oklahoma State (1-0), which piled up 432 yards on offense after struggling for most of the first half.

Tyler Russell 10 of 16 for 133 yards before being helped off the field and taken to the locker room in the third quarter after being brought down on a scramble. Dak Prescott replaced Russell, throwing for 89 yards on seven of 17 passing.

LaDarius Perkins rushed for 50 yards on 16 carries and caught three passes for 52 yards for the Bulldogs (0-1).

Arkansas 34, La-Lafayette 14: Brandon Allen made sure his new head coach made a solid first impression at Arkansas.

Allen was 15-of-22 passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns as Arkansas opened the Bret Bielema era with a 34-14 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Allen, taking over as the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks, threw a pair of touchdown passes to Javontee Herndon and helped improve Bielema to 8-0 in his career in season openers

Sophomore Jonathan Williams rushed for 151 yards and freshman Alex Collins added 131 of his own for Arkansas (1-0), which outgained the Ragin’ Cajuns (0-1) 522-274 in total yardage. Williams did so on 18 carries while Collins had 21.

Terrance Broadway was 15-of-28 passing for 171 yards and a touchdown for Louisiana-Lafayette, which fell to 0-37 against Southeastern Conference opponents.

The Ragin’ Cajuns entered Saturday full of confidence, coming off back-to-back 9-4 seasons that included a pair of wins in the New Orleans Bowl and a near upset of Florida last season.

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